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<title>Just Breathe by Pippinpaddleopsicopolis (Barnable)</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25701136">Just Breathe</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Barnable/pseuds/Pippinpaddleopsicopolis'>Pippinpaddleopsicopolis (Barnable)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: The Last Airbender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Anxiety, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Forehead Kisses, Insecurity, M/M, POV Sokka (Avatar), Sokka (Avatar) Has Abandonment Issues, Sokka (Avatar) Needs a Hug, Sokka (Avatar)-centric, Zuko (Avatar) is a Good Boyfriend, they're soft</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 08:27:17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,423</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25701136</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Barnable/pseuds/Pippinpaddleopsicopolis</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Since the war ended, Sokka's been working on plans to rebuild and revitalize the Southern Water Tribe. But when the day finally comes to present them, his fear of public speaking causes him to run. Luckily, his boyfriend is there to help him through it.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>277</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Just Breathe</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There were a lot of thoughts running through Sokka’s head as he sat there—fingers clinging to his unkempt hair as his tips throbbed from how far down he’d chewed his nails—but the most overwhelming was that he needed to calm down. He needed to stop shaking, stop biting onto his lip, stop focusing on the fact that his lungs were burning from how hard it became to breathe. Unfortunately, all that was much easier said than done and he found himself stuck in his awful state; dragging the remnants of his nails down the side of his head as he struggled to regain his bearings.</p><p>He knew where he was. His heart was racing, his head was pounding, and his palms were sweating a ridiculous amount considering he was surrounded by snow, but he knew where he was and that gave him a certain level of comfort. Sokka was far away from everyone else at that point, having dipped from the event the moment his anxiety had gone too far. If he stayed there, if he let everyone see how much he was panicking, they would think he couldn’t do it. They would think he wasn’t capable of doing his own presentation, and someone else would have to do it instead. Someone else would take over for his duties and his position and his place in the hearts of the people he cared about. But in a way, that was what he deserved, wasn’t it? Because he couldn’t do it. As hard as he tried, he couldn’t do it. He wasn’t good enough. He could <em>never </em>be good enough.</p><p>Sokka tried to take a deep breath when someone draped a thick blanket around his shoulders, to pull himself together before they realized how badly he was failing but choked on his own increasing sobs. It was too late. They knew he was broken and scared, and they wouldn’t want him around anymore. It didn’t matter how hard he tried, or how much he managed to accomplish, he <em>still </em>wasn’t good enough. He <em>still </em>wasn’t as strong as them or as brave as them and all things considered, it was probably for the best that he stayed there behind the snowbank instead of trying and failing to do his presentation. He squeezed his eyes shut tighter, willing the tears not to fall as strong arms wrapped around him, pulling him into a safe embrace.</p><p>“It’s okay. You don’t have to be strong for me.”</p><p>From the moment he sat down, Sokka knew it was Zuko who found him, though he didn’t fully register his boyfriend’s presence until the warm arms wrapped around him and a soft kiss landed on the center of his forehead. Finally, Sokka lowered his hands from where they clung to his hair, reaching around to grip onto the back of the firebender’s coat instead. His breaths were still shaking, his entire body trembling as Zuko held him close. Neither of them said a word, but they didn’t have to. Sokka knew what his boyfriend was thinking. He’d never seen Sokka in such a state before and once he calmed down, once he was able to walk away without coming off as a jackass, he’d leave just like everyone else did. Not that it would come as a surprise—it was only a matter of time, if he were honest.</p><p>“Breathe, Sokka.” His tone was gentle, his breath warm by Sokka’s ear. “It’s okay. Just take a deep breath with me.”</p><p>As he followed his boyfriend’s breathing, all Sokka could think about was the fact that there was not a bone in his body which thought he was good enough to be with Zuko. He was the Fire Lord, one of the greatest benders of all time, and <em>literally </em>a world leader, and Sokka was just… Sokka. He wasn’t a bender. He wasn’t special. And even though he was technically helping to lead the tribe alongside his dad, there was every chance even <em>that </em>wouldn’t last for long because he’d run off instead of giving his presentation. Instead of telling his people how he intended to revitalize and improve their lives, he panicked and fled. He shook and sobbed like a child, clinging to his boyfriend as he willed the world to not let it be the last time. Sokka struggled with another deep breath, his fingers not loosening around Zuko’s back when he spoke, his voice shallow.</p><p>“I’m sorry,” he started, his words shaking with each syllable. “I shouldn’t have run away, but I can’t— I can’t do it. I’m not strong enough.”</p><p>“Wait, wait, <em>what</em>?” Zuko pushed his gloved hands over his boyfriend’s tear-streaked face, their eyes meeting before the briefest second before Sokka sniffed and pulled away. “Sokka, you are <em>the </em>strongest person I have ever met. You have the greatest ideas out of anyone, no one comes <em>close </em>to your weapons knowledge, and you made and carried out the plans that stopped the Earth Kingdom from falling to genocide. I know that public speaking scares you and you’re not really good at it but that doesn’t matter. You are so much more than that. Please don’t put yourself down for this one little thing when you are so, <em>so </em>amazing in so many different ways.”</p><p>Sokka opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out was another broken sob. He didn’t think he was amazing. Out of all of them, he was just the regular guy. Even Suki was an incredible, highly trained warrior and he was just…<em> Sokka</em>. But his boyfriend, Zuko, the literal fucking Fire Lord, thought he was special. He thought there were good things about him even though he was so terrified that he couldn’t give a presentation to a group a hundredth of the size that Zuko usually gave speeches to. Sokka snuggled deeper into his chest, breathing steadily against his thick coat.</p><p>“Say more nice things,” he whispered.</p><p>“You’re really smart.” Zuko rested his chin on the top of Sokka’s head, his warm skin helping Sokka to forget he’d run from the fire so suddenly, he hadn’t bothered with enough layers. “I think a lot of people take you for granted because you have such a goofy sense of humor, but you invented the fucking <em>submarine</em>, Sokka. War balloons too. And whatever else you haven’t told me about yet because there’s so much intelligence in your head, I can’t even keep up with it sometimes. I don’t know how I got lucky enough to have you helping me with my duties, but I am so unbelievably grateful for it. I don’t know what I would do without you.”</p><p>He was still on the edge of tears, but it wasn’t from stress or anxiety anymore. Instead, he was touched by the words that Zuko was saying. His mind was almost blown by the way Zuko spoke about him, as if <em>he </em>were somehow the special one. Sokka shifted slightly as Zuko wrapped the blanket tighter around him, though it was hardly necessary with how warm the Fire Lord’s embrace was. He wanted to open his mouth, to say thank you for helping, for not leaving when he realized Sokka was having a meltdown, but he couldn’t get the words out. The only sound that left his mouth was another broken sob, leading Zuko to pull him in a little closer. On the bright side, when one tear did fall, it froze so fast Zuko couldn’t have seen it.</p><p>“And in case I came off wrong before,” the Fire Lord went on quietly, practically cradling Sokka in his arms, “I really love your sense of humor. I know I don’t laugh a lot but that’s not your fault. You still make me smile more than anyone else. Your jokes are so goofy and fun and when you think of a line you really love, you get all smiley and giggly and it’s so cute, it actually breaks me. So do your nicknames. I make fun of you for those a lot, but you do not know how much my heart flutters when you call me ‘sweetheart’. Or even just ‘babe’. And I know you like to call me ‘beautiful’ a lot but you’re a thousand times more beautiful than I could ever be.”</p><p>“I—” Sokka choked on the word, and between the cold, thick air, and his still trembling breaths, it took him a moment to get enough oxygen to finish his sentence. “I thought you were going to leave. I thought you would— you would think I was weak for running because I couldn’t do it.”</p><p>“No. Absolutely not. Hey, Sokka. Look at me. Sokka.” He carefully lifted Sokka’s chin, their gazes locking before Zuko went on. “I would <em>never </em>leave you because of this. I couldn’t. Do you know how hypocritical that would be? I have had so many <em>stupid </em>meltdowns in front of you, I can’t even imagine walking away just because you freaked out a little about something that’s really scary for you. It’s okay. I’m here, and I’m not leaving. I promise.”</p><p>“But what about everyone else? I walked away from the entire tribe. They must be <em>pissed</em>.”</p><p>“Oh, god, no. No one is mad at you, Sokka. Your dad is buying time until you come back and I barely convinced Katara not to follow me when I came looking for you. They’re not mad. No one is mad. We’re all just worried, okay? If you can’t do this, no one is going to be upset with you. You’ve told me before that this, for whatever reason, scares you more than anything else and if you don’t think you can do it, you just tell me, all right? Chief Hakoda knows the plans too, he can talk to the people if you don’t feel like you can do it on your own. But just so you know, if you want to try, I will give you my total support. When we go back, you do what’s best for <em>you</em>. Don’t worry about anyone else.”</p><p>Except he didn’t know <em>how </em>to think about himself. His entire life, all Sokka wanted to do was protect the people he cared about. He wasn’t thinking about his own comfort, not even when he ran off, he just wanted everyone else to keep their confidence in him. Even then, as Zuko did nothing but talk him up, all Sokka could think about was the fact that everyone was waiting for him to come back. Everyone was waiting for him to get up in front of the tribe and make the announcement and explain the plans. And he felt so, <em>so </em>stupid for not being able to do it because he grew up with all those people. He knew everyone and yet, somehow, standing up in front of them as a crowd made talking seem impossible.</p><p>“Do you think we could do it together?” he asked, his words softer than he intended. Sokka’s fingers were still twisted around the back of Zuko’s coat, the fur from the bottom of the hanging hood tickling his knuckles. “Me and my dad, I mean. I—I don’t want to give up, but I don’t think I can stand up there on my own. I don’t think I can do it without fucking up all my words.”</p><p>“Yeah, of course.” Zuko rubbed his back gently, the blanket shifting around his shoulders. “I bet he’d think that’s a great idea. Here, turn around for a second.”</p><p>Sokka did as he was told, finally releasing his grip on his boyfriend as he twisted to face the front. He found himself slightly alarmed to see Zuko taking his gloves off but said nothing as his boyfriend reached up and dragged his hands through Sokka’s hair. Zuko brushed them through a few times before holding his hand out, and Sokka gave him the tie without question. He hadn’t meant to rip it out in the first place, he just needed something to cling to when he was freaking out and somehow, that ended up being his hair. Zuko didn’t ask about that, however, just gently pulling his boyfriend’s hair back into a clean wolftail before pressing a gentle kiss to the top of his head.</p><p>With that settled, Zuko rose to his feet and held out a hand to help Sokka to his. He was still shaking when Zuko wrapped an arm around his shoulders, though he could no longer tell how much of it was from his nerves and how much was from the fact he’d walked off without a proper coat. Sokka leaned his head against Zuko’s shoulder, letting out a gentle, shaky breath as he slid an arm around his boyfriend’s waist. They weren’t that far from the tribe, just past a number of snowbanks, but the short walk back and the gentle, reassuring phrases Zuko whispered into his ear gave him the boost of confidence he needed to feel okay about his presentation.</p><p>“Thank you,” said Sokka, between Zuko’s soft, loving words. “If you hadn’t come over, I would probably still be— never mind. It doesn’t matter because you did come over and it’s okay. I'm fine. We're fine. I love you so much, <em>sweetheart</em>.”</p><p>Zuko smiled as he leaned into Sokka’s head. “I love you too, you dork.”</p><p>They were back at the tribe within a few minutes, and even though Sokka didn’t feel any less afraid to face his fear of public speaking, he did feel better about a lot of things. He broke, and Zuko was still there. He admitted to his fears, and his dad was happy to help him. He tripped over himself a few too many times during his presentation, and not one person in the tribe thought less of him. In the space of an hour, he was forced to confront almost all of his persisting fears, and yet, he never shattered. He cracked, he stumbled, he even had a goddamn meltdown, and it was still okay. His friends loved him and supported him regardless, and even though he was still petrified of failure, he no longer felt like it was a challenge he couldn’t overcome.</p><p>Sokka was still learning how to appreciate himself on the same level he did for the people he loved. It was something he’d struggled with his entire life, and he knew he would struggle to overcome it for longer still. But, with Zuko around, that didn’t feel like such an impossible feat.</p>
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